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Using CBCT for Dental Sleep Medicine

CBCT empowers dental professionals by allowing them to diagnose patients with exceptional accuracy, efficiency, and safety. With devices like the PreXion3D Excelsior CBCT Scanner by PreXion, practitioners can quickly and easily achieve high-quality oral and maxillofacial scans while maintaining acceptably low levels of radiation exposure. Due to its versatility, CBCT is used in treatment planning and diagnosis across a range of specialties including implant placement, endodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery. In recent years, however, CBCT has also garnered special interest as a tool for aiding patients with sleep disorders.

The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) defines dental sleep medicine as the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. This includes obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring, two often-related ailments that can negatively impact patients’ lives in a multitude of ways. In addition to disrupting nightly sleep cycles, without treatment, OSA can cause life-threatening health problems such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and more.

Oral appliance therapy (OAT) offers a means of combating both OSA and snoring. With OAT, dentists fit patients with a mouth guard-like device designed to promote an open and unobstructed airway during sleep. Though AADSM guidelines state that only a board-certified sleep physician can diagnose sleep apnea, a dentist trained in OAT can utilize CBCT to provide a general airway assessment. Significant differences in airway measurements can be observed in OSA patient CBCT scans when compared those of patients without the disorder.[1]

Through CBCT and visualization software—like the PreXion3D Viewer software bundled with the PreXion3D Excelsior—dentists have access to a powerful and compelling educational tool for patients suffering from OSA. By presenting clear, detailed images, dentists can increase case acceptance while helping patients understand their conditions and begin their journey to better health.

To learn more about the PreXion3D Excelsior, watch product videos, read user testimonials, and request a demo, visit PreXion’s website.